I am new here and have read through some posts on some of the machines I am looking at, but not sure if any of the specific ones have issues more than others. I have a budget of no more than $4000. The ones on my local Craigslist I am looking at are:

2003 Sportsman 700 2000 miles 400 hours for $3950

2004 Sportsman 400 890 miles 130 hours for $3300

2008 Prairie 360 no miles or hours listed but looks good for $3500

2003 Foreman Rubicon 500 2170 miles 400 hours for $3450

2006 Brute Force 750 2026 miles 177 hours with new tires and wheels for $3200

I will mostly be using it for hunting and ice fishing. Occasional trail riding.

The miles on the 2004 Sportsman is low, but not sure if these have issues that would make one of the others a better choice.

Any advice on the machine that is the most reliable or best for the money would be greatly appreciated.

Steve

 

Just realized I should have put this in the "Buying an ATV" section, so if someone wants to move this that would be cool.

 

Moved. -Moderator.

Brute Force would have best power of the group. Sportsman quads would have the most comfortable ride. Prairie is pretty bare bones and has a stiff ride. Rubicon is probably the most reliable of the bunch but if all the others are maintained properly they all are decent. If you want a comfortable ride get one of the quads that has independent rear suspension (IRS). Just random thoughts.

 

Is there anything specific that I would look at to see how one was maintained or just check for how abused it looks and go from there? I would guess I would want to look at CV boots, oil condition and stuff like that. What about engine noises? Is there things to listen for that are abnormal? Do most people figure that if it looks clean and doesn't look abused that it was probably maintained well?

 

Here is some very relevant information when looking for used bikes. It is the same list I used when I bought my used Grizzly: Do Used Quads = A Money Pit - post #27 (Tips for buying a used atv....)

This other link has a listing of top used quads that coincidentally, are around the year time frame you mention in your OP. It is an interesting read: world-of-atvs.com - Top Used Four Wheeler Models!
Which 4wd ATVs are Best Buys?

 

Thanks for the links. Good info on what to look at on a used machine. That helps me out a bit.

 

They have some features, Disc brakes , Diff lock and a low range, but its the only mid size chassis ATV in the group the rest are all full chassis chassis.

It has good owner reviews Vehicle Reviews for 2008 Kawasaki Prairie® 360 4x4

 

Found a 1998 Sportsman 500 with about 1800 miles. Pretty good shape looks to have been maintained well. Broken speedo cable seems to be the only thing bad. It has a creak at the top of right front strut. Not sure what that is about yet.

 

So you bought the 98 Sportsman?

 

Yeah. Guess I didn't make that clear.